Pierre’s learning
Date: 30 August
to share his book with another child who
approached and didn’t mind involving other
children in this special time.
Teacher: Lorraine
Learning story
Short-term review
Pierre discovered a shape puzzle that seemed to
fascinate him. He sat manipulating the shapes for
about ten minutes. Each time he touched one,
he’d look up and say, “Da, da.” I gave him the
name for each shape in English and te reo. He
carefully examined each shape before attempting
to place it on the puzzle – a very reflective,
studied approach! Although it was a wet day and
there was considerable activity around him, he
persisted at his task, undeterred by the noise and
action!
Pierre shows great interest in books and initiated a
wonderful shared learning experience.
Date: 9 April
Whanau voice
We appreciate and commend you guys for your
timeless efforts, always reinforcing what we do at
home as well as offering him many new life
experiences. Nò reira, kia ora koutou mò te mahi
ako.
Short-term review
Date: 8 May
What amazing concentration, especially given the
clamour around him. Pierre, I’m impressed! This
puzzle had discreet geometric shapes and was
brightly coloured. Pierre was able to manipulate
these shapes and place the pieces in the puzzle
correctly after careful experimentation. He was
quite happy without my participation, yet as I
provided language labels for him, he looked up
with anticipation to hear the next name. He is
gathering connections between language, objects,
and events. I hoped that providing te reo for each
shape would support the language interaction
Pierre experiences at home.
Teacher: Lorraine
Learning story
I picked up a book that had been lying on the
ground. Noticing this, Pierre zoned in from the
other side of the lawn. He beamed his
characteristic smile, especially noticeable where
books are concerned, and requested, “Book!
Book!” We found a comfortable spot and began to
read. The book was already very familiar, judging
from the way Pierre responded to the text and
pictures. We read the words in Màori and then in
English, and as we did so, I guided his finger
around the shape: “He porohita whero: a red circle;
he tapawhà kàkàriki: a green square” and so on
until we finished.
Date: 18 September
Teacher: Jo
Learning story
Pierre has great book skills. He turned the pages in
sequence and listened intently as he matched the
spoken word with the text and picture. He’s been
interested in shapes for a long time, and I recall a
learning story when he was in “crawling mode”
that showed his intense concentration with a shape
puzzle. At that stage, we were already using te reo
and English to name the shapes, and he responded
by looking at me, waiting for the language label,
then acknowledging this with a positive-sounding
babble. No need this time to fathom his private
language as he repeated the phrases after me, at
first a little tentatively and then quite clearly. We
had plenty of time to explore the book and read it
through at least three times.
It was early in the morning, and we were in the
main playroom. Pierre moved around the room,
looking at different play equipment. He
approached the bookshelf, reached out, and chose
three different books. He carried them over to
Caroline, doing very well as the books were heavy
and quite a struggle! He handed the books to
Caroline, who said, “Would you like me to read a
story?” Pierre’s smile lit up his face.
He laughed. He then proceeded to sit down,
backing carefully onto Caroline’s lap. She held
the story in front of him and started to read.
Pierre stared intently at the book, and his eyes
moved, following the pictures. Pierre was happy
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Teacher’s voice
What’s happening here?
Pierre’s stories in this exemplar cover seven
months. They document his interest in shapes
and books and the teacher’s use of te reo Màori.
While half an hour later I’d moved on to other
things, Pierre still had his special book tucked
under his arm. Later that day, when his father
came to collect him, we discussed Pierre’s intense
interest and involvement with this particular book.
As we chatted, Kim (a colleague) told me that
earlier that morning Pierre had been very focused
on a book called We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by
Michael Rosen and that she had a learning story in
progress. We found both books and offered them
to Pierre to take home so that he could enjoy
them again with his parents. As we flipped
through He Kaui by Manu Te Awa, Marty, Pierre’s
father, made the comment that the text and
illustration were very clearly linked. I had
previously been very thankful for this as it made it
easier for me to translate without constant referral
to the glossary at the back. Marty gave me some
helpful tips on grammar, linking the way we
would usually construct an English sentence with
the form in Màori. I found this really useful.
What aspects of bicultural assessment
does this exemplify?
In the May 8 contribution, the teacher comments
on the assistance that Pierre’s father is giving her
with te reo Màori. She uses the assessment to
share her sense of uncertainty at moving towards
biculturalism. However, she also expresses her
commitment to do so and to work collaboratively
with Pierre’s family. Although it is not discussed
in this exemplar, the continuing journey for these
teachers includes becoming confident at using
the Kei a wai? games with the support of Pierre’s
mother. These games move between home and
centre, supporting Pierre’s interest in te reo. The
teachers are also becoming confident at reading
the Huia Bilingual Readers series in te reo Màori.
How might this assessment contribute
to bicultural practice here?
Many times when I move tentatively into things
“bicultural”, I do so uneasily as the last thing I
want to do is offer a token gesture. Yet to do
nothing is worse. Using te reo in natural,
meaningful ways is one avenue, but having
ongoing dialogue with families keeps the learning
fresh and relevant as we find out together what is
important.
The teacher puzzles about what to do and seeks
advice from whànau. This is another record of
bicultural work in progress. Such records
support teachers on their pathways to bicultural
assessment practice.
What might this tell us about informal
noticing, recognising, and responding
in this place?
A number of contributions to children’s portfolios
show teachers initiating or noticing and
recognising opportunities for a bicultural
curriculum. Some also use the portfolios as
opportunities to ask whànau for guidance. This
exemplar is an example of this.
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